Nastolgia Takes a Different Turn
by Tealbull81
Summary: Trolls fanfiction chapter is inspired in its entirety by tisbubb's "Little Change." The characters belong to tisbubb (roughly interpreted), but this story is mine.  This story is an alternative ending to the well known nostalgic sleep over between Branch and Poppy. This idea was eating away at me for weeks so I had to write it down-just to get it out of my brain. Trolls/human AU


So, this chapter was inspired in its entirety by tisbubb's "Little Change." The characters belong to tisbubb (roughly interpreted), but this word vomit is mine. This story is an alternative ending to the well known nostalgic sleep over between Branch and Poppy. This idea was eating away at me for weeks so I had to write it down-just to get it out of my brain. I've never written a fan fiction before,and I probably never will again. I am pretty anxious about it. I have no purposeful intention of pissing off anyone who loves "Little Change" as much as I do. Maybe it will help hold you off for the much anticipated Chapter 18. I hope you enjoy, but if you don't—just ignore this post.

(Takes place after Chapter 15 of tisbubb's "Little Change")

 **Nostalgia Takes a Different Turn**

In the illuminating glow of the laptop, Poppy stared at him, lightly running her finger down his jawline. A sleepy grin on her face as she traced his features. His lips were gently parted–his rhythmic breaths breezing in and out. Poppy was hit with a moment of inspired curiosity. Carefully, Poppy lifted her fingers to Branch's mouth. She stalled a moment, inches away. The alcohol that warmed her veins helped to steady her hand. She lowered her thumb to his lips. With a slow breath, she softly dragged it across his hanging lower lip. As she passed over—a movement caught her eye. Branch's cushy lips slightly tightened under her finger and a pucker pressed back against her digit.

With growing amazement, Poppy again ran her thumb over his mouth heeding the same result.

Poppy bit her lip—stifling a nervous giggle.

Giddiness bubbling in her voice, Poppy whispered,

"Branch? D…did you just kiss me?"

Branch's nose wrinkled to her voice then relaxed.

"Hmmm…" he groaned.

Poppy pushed herself up on her elbow and leaned closer to his ear.

"Branch? Do…do you w-want to kiss me?

Branch shifted his head, "Hmmm…"

Not wanting to make any rash decision in her intoxicated state, Poppy carefully analyzed Branch's response.

 _Well-sounded like an "okay" to me!_

Careful to not startle him, Poppy snuggled closer. Her breaths quick, the excitement shimmering in her eyes. She leaned nearer and hesitantly pressed her lips to his.

To her astonishment, he kissed back. Nearly imperceptible massaging movements by both drew the kiss deeper and more intense. After only a few seconds, Poppy felt Branch's body stir beneath her. She broke the kiss and drew away—unsure what was going to happen. She hadn't thought this far ahead.

With a slight stretch of his body Branch released a quiet sigh. His bleary blue eyes cracked open and blinked, with no obvious attempt to focus. A tiny but easy smile formed as Branch looked up at her. His hand lifted and reached out to Poppy. His finger tips were soft as he adoringly pressed them against her cheek and let gravity drag his hand downward. Suddenly, he stopped.

Branch's eyes snapped open.

 _Shit-shit-shit!_

 _Abort- ABORT! NOT a dream! **I repeat NOT A DREAM**!_

With a yelp, Branch shot up. He scrambled backward—arms and legs flailing for traction on the smooth sheet. A light flashed across the ceiling when the laptop was knocked to the floor. Kicking free from the blanket, he kept moving until he ran out of bed. Poppy gasped as Branch's legs flew over his head and he disappeared over the edge.

 _Thump!_

It took Branch a couple tries to pull himself up to stand. When he did, Poppy could see his entire body was shaking.

"….W-what…I…I didn't… y-you…I c-couldn't…didn't…. !"

Poppy could only stare, and wait nervously for him to find his words. It took a minute.

"What the hell, Poppy!?"

 _What am I suppose to say to that?!_

I-I mean– w-w-why did…c-could…."

 _Thanks- got anything more, Branch?_

"WHAT THE HELL, POPPY?!"

"Branch- stop yelling!" she shushed.

"You're going to wake everyone in the house! Besides- you kissed me first, Branch!" Poppy scolded.

Branch struggled to follow her response. His mind was spinning.

 _Shit-shit-shit_

Suddenly, Branch became VERY aware of the growing pressure in his body. He looked down at his pants.

 _FUCK!_

Mortified, he tried to snatch a pillow off the bed. His fingers fumbled at the cloth. Why wouldn't his fucking fingers work?! After several attempts he latched on. In a swift movement he yanked it away and quickly covered himself.

Branch's body was shaking. He couldn't focus his thoughts as he stumbled his way backwards. Desperately, he wanted to make a run for it. But where the fuck was he going to go?! Back to Creek?! He kept moving til he hit the bookshelf in the corner of Poppy's room. A few stuffed animals rained down on him from the top shelf. Branch jumped like they were spiders and swatted at them with his free hand.

"Branch—what is wrong with you!?" Poppy hissed.

His eyes flashed over the room, urgently trying figure a way out of this situation.

"Sorry….I didn't mean…I'm just….couldn't…"

 _Just fucking say SOMETHING!_

"I-I…I didn't…. **WHAT THE FUCKING HELL POPPY**?!"

Even if Poppy weren't in a light stupor, she still never could have expected him to react this way. The kiss wasn't even bad. It was pretty darn great by her standards.

"What the hell YOURSELF, Branch! I didn't start it! You were the one that wanted to be kissed! Maybe I was just in the mood to take requests! You COULD say "Thank you". Besides, you KISSED BACK, bud. I didn't make you do that" she snapped definitively.

"So don't get pissy with me, Branch!"

Branch tried to scowl through his fear. He rubbed at his his neck and face, and tugged at tufts of his hair . Poppy watched him pace side to side anxiously-trying to burn the energy that was building up inside. He was gasping now, unable to take in the air that his brain was screaming for.

Branch tried to form a relevant sentence.

"B-but…W-why?! For fuck's sake- why would you do that?!"

Poppy opened her mouth for a quick response, but stopped. She blinked. Come to think of it, she didn't really know.

Branch seemed to grow more fidgety as the silent moments passed without an answer. Poppy didn't have long before he crumbled like a cupcake.

"B-because… because you looked so pretty. I- I thought you wanted me to. And I just…I wanted to. I just wanted to, Branch. I-I wanted to know what it felt like. And…"

She looked down as she rubbed her wrists. "I wanted you."

His voice was shaking, and he tried so hard to not let it crack.

"No…n-no, no. Y-You don't know w-what the fuck you're talking about, Poppy…"

Poppy's eyes narrowed.

This was just getting insulting.

"You can't tell me what I do and don't want, Branch!"

Branch was pacing faster, back and forth within the corner. His free hand feverishly rubbing his forehead

"You don't get it Poppy–You don't fucking want someone like me!"

 _Okay—he is completely over reacting._

Poppy pulled herself to her knees and tried her best to glare at him intimidatingly.

"Yes-I do– you damn, grumpy troll!"

Branch squeezed his fingers—gripping his hair tighter. Closing his eyes and trying to make his words stop shaking.

"No! Poppy–You fucking don't! Y-You're just…Dammit- you're just _drunk_!" he hissed.

Poppy stumbled off the bed and stomped across the room to him. Pointing a wobbling finger in his direction that followed him as he hurried back and forth.

"That's enough Branch! I may have had a few, but I'm not freaking plastered!"

It was unclear if Branch even noticed that she had moved close to him. He had started muttering incoherently to himself.

Poppy reached out and grabbed his shoulders forcefully—trying to end this dizzying motion. She dug her fingers into his muscles a little harder than she probably intended. With a quick jerk she attempted to shake him out of his mindset.

"Dammit—Branch, I-WANT-YOU!"

 _ooooops….probably shouldn't have said that_

Branch had stopped pacing and stared at the ground. He let his fingers loosen from his hair and dropped his hands down to his chest.

Poppy's grip relaxed. She poked a finger to his forehead.

"Just-you."

 _That either._

There was silence. Poppy let go of his shoulder.

 _Did I just win this argument?_

With greater strength that he thought he possessed, Branch lifted his head– finally able to look at Poppy.

His eyes glistened from developing tears. His mouth gaped…trying to make his body say the words on his mind. It came out as only a sad whisper in the dark–almost pleading,

"B-but…y-you _shouldn't_ want me…"

Poppy was quiet. Her frustration fizzled and she stepped forward, reaching for his hand. He pulled it away. With a sigh, Poppy rolled her eyes and gripped his wrist. Emotionally drained, Branch let Poppy lead him back to the bed. They sat soundly on the edge of the mattress. Poppy carefully placed her hand over his and rested her head on Branch's shoulder.

Speaking calmly,

"Ya know, bud, I think I read once that alcohol doesn't make you do anything that you didn't already want to do. It just takes away the stop signs."

 _Screw that. I've done some pretty fucked up shit when I was drunk._

Branch peaked at her face from the corner of his eye. Poppy took notice and met his line of sight. Those big, beautiful sparkling eyes, her reassuring smile….those lips…

In Branch's brain, a siren blared in unison with a giant, flashing red, neon lights:

* _STOP*STOP*STOP*_

He quickly snapped his eyes away.

 _I'm definitely not drunk…enough._

Poppy bit at her lower lip.

"What I mean is, inside, we all want to do crazy shit. And alcohol just makes the reasons not to do those things, well….not seem so important."

Branch glanced hesitantly back toward Poppy.

Poppy smiled flirtatiously.

"So, what's wrong with letting your crazy show once in a while?"

 _You are plenty crazy, Poppy—your problem is NOT showing it._

Poppy entwined her fingers with Branch's and tugged—a silent request to join her.

 _This is a bad idea._

Branch turned and preceded to move in her direction.

 _FUCK NO—don't FOLLOW her! What the hell Branch!?_

He joined her in the center of the bed.

They sat on their knees, facing each other in darkness. The moonlight cast soft shadows through the room and over each other.

Branch wanted to touch her. He wanted to hold her and kiss her. He couldn't move. The only function he could apparently muster was internal panic. He was lucky that he could still breath at this point.

 _Fuck, I'm still breathing aren't I?!_

She leaned in, her movements slightly wobbly.

Branch froze. Couldn't move if he wanted to.

Stopping just before contact, she gazed up into his eyes, trying to gauge his response. His breaths were fast and shallow. His orbits were wide—the whites of his eyes showing far more than the blue.

 _Well, he's not pulling away…_

"I'm not going to hurt you.." she tried to reassure.

 _It's not me I'm fucking worried about. Okay, yes, yes it is. Scared shitless right now._

Her lips slightly parted and she drew in. Poppy's mouth connected and closed over his lower lip.

The shock vibrated through them.

Poppy's eyes closed. She breathed in the shiver that moved over her, pressing into Branch and deepening the kiss. Bright colors exploded in her mind and rained through her body like confetti.

Branch's mind was…blank. His breath was quick…too quick? After a few moments of mind darkness, some hazy thoughts started to clump together.

 _Am I hyperventilating? Am I kissing back? Where the fuck are my hands?!_

Branch's hands–were gripping tightly to the sheet beneath him. He only became aware of this when his fingers started to cramp.

Branch closed his eyes—his vision too blurry to see anything anyway. Her lips were like velvet, supple and smooth.

With a nudge of her tongue, Branch complied by parting his lips. She was sweet, with the faint effervescence of red wine. The kiss was slippery and nimble–unaffected by her compromised state. Her breathing quickened with his…her delicate voice breathy and gasping as the feeling overtook her. She was…

Poppy's lips pulled away.

They rested their foreheads against one another– panting as they tried to find clarity after the hormonal explosion.

 _Come on Poppy, you should say something…say something before he feels more awkward…._

 _Don't say anything, Branch. You're going to fuck this up more._

"I love you." Branch mumbled, his eyes still closed.

 _FUCK!_

Branch screwed his eyes shut tighter.

Silence.

 _FUCK-FUCK-FUCK!_

More silence.

Poppy was never quiet this long.

Reluctantly, he cracked one eye to see if she was still even there.

Poppy was staring at him—her eyes had grown into saucers.

Her vision shifted from his left eye to his right…back to the left.. Branch could almost hear the tornado of thoughts swirling in her mind as she tried to process the moment in her alcohol enhanced haze.

And she did.

The smile grew. It stretched her dimples and twinkled her eyes. It brightened every tiny corner of her face. Poppy grabbed Branch and pulled him close.

The kiss was more active than the last. It moved from his mouth, to his jaw, then the kisses dotted their way up to his ear. She ran her fingers through his tangled hair and down the back of his neck.. Branch could feel her pant as she nibbled his lobe–her breath hot and intoxicating.

Moving to his alternate side, Poppy flashed a sly smile.

She leaned in to kiss his neck. Her fingers fumbled at the top button of his pajama shirt.

 _What the fuck is happening?_

The button was free. Followed by another. By the third button, Poppy had to pull away every few moments to give the process her full attention. The wine made it difficult to multitask. Finally, the last button was unhitched and his shirt hung loosely.

Branch couldn't hold back the a nervous whine as Poppy folded the fabric over and behind his shoulders. The shirt slipped down his strong arms and dropped to the bed.

Poppy placed her hand on his chest.

A knot was tightening in the pit of his stomach. Branch looked up and inhaled deeply–trying to draw in the cooler air from above

 _Don't vomit. Don't fucking vomit on Poppy._

Branch's thumping heart pounded in her palm. She placed her other hand on his skin. Poppy watched in fascination as she moved over his body. Appreciating the warmth, the strength..and the goosebumps that were left behind after her fingers passed over.

 _Fuck! What do I do?! FUCK!_

As if reading his mind, Poppy took Branch's hands in her own, lifted them up, and placing them tenderly on her shoulders.

After a moment of hesitation, Branch's fingers delicately brushed down Poppy's arms– too afraid to apply more pressure than that in fear she may shatter. Her skin was so soft, there was a cushiony feel to her body that couldn't be discerned visually. When his brushing movement reached the end of her arm, he cupped his hands around her own.

Poppy withdrew, and with a innocent grin, she crossed her arms—pinching the bottom hem of her T-shirt. In a swift motion, she slipped the t-shirt up and over her head. Her pink locks sprinkled down–bouncing softly as they landed.

 _Fuck–not good! Sirens, flashing lights *STOP*STOP*STOP *!_

Branch quickly snapped his eyes to the ceiling, face blushing a deep purple.

Poppy giggled like she did this kind of thing all the time.

Poppy caressed Branches waist, and pushed through between his muscular arms. She wrapped her limbs around his back and pulled him close.

Branch could feel every curve of Poppy's body pressed against him. The gentle rounding of her stomach against the slight squish of his own. The fluffy compression of her chest to his toned muscles. Their hips fitting like puzzle pieces. Branch and Poppy's bodies melted together and it was difficult to tell where one person's heat started and the other's stopped.

Branch couldn't breath fast enough. He was so hot and growing more dizzy by the minute. His heart thumped loudly in his ears.

 _This is it. I'm going to die. I'm going to have a fucking heart attack, and die._

Branches arms were still at his side–dangled in mid air. They were stiff but trembling. Poppy's arms were wedged underneath them and hugging him tight.

 _What do I do? What the fuck do I do?!_

Branch could feel himself swaying. Was he still breathing? Was he going to faint? He reached around Poppy's back and locked his hands—desperately trying not to pass out.

Poppy's kisses moved along his jaw line before nuzzling her way into his neck. His neck was damp and salty on her lips. It made her want him more. Branch gasped, his eyes rolled and a moan escaped. Branch could feel Poppy smile at his reaction as she continued to nibble and suck at his skin. He was in no shape to acknowledge any embarrassment that he felt over the accidental sound, but he tried his best to turn his pelvis away from her.

Moving back to his lips, Poppy's hands were again on the move. Over his chest and dragging down his ticklish flanks. Poppy was going low…very low… _too low_.

Poppy's fingers danced along the waist band of his pajamas. She teasingly plucked at the fabric, making her way from his love handles to front and center. Branch's body stiffened awkwardly.

" _FUCK!"_

Still lost in the moment, Poppy happened to look up, but Branch's expression captured her attention.

His breathing was ragged, his hands trembled. Branch's wide eyes darted around the room, looking every which way—except at her. Sweat droplets were forming on his brow and chest and his whole body swayed side to side as if he couldn't keep his balance.

Branch wore many emotions freely on his sleeve—anger, frustration, disgust… Even the occasional bout of happiness was becoming clearer to spot. But when he was afraid–truly afraid, the signs were subtle.

Poppy's smile faded and was quickly replaced with a sobering concern over the situation.

Poppy let go of Branch's waist band and the elastic snapped back against his skin. Branch's eyes were still bulging, and the other signs were unchanged.

Taking a settling breath, Poppy placed her hands on her friend's shoulders and calmingly rubbed the length of his arms.

"Okay…okay, Branch. It's okay."

Branch slowly lowered his eyes to see Poppy's expression—careful to not allow his view to stray south of her collarbone. His brow furrowed, slightly fearful of what would come next.

With a tired smile, Poppy dropped her eyes to her own chest. Her face blushed. Poppy covered her breasts with one arm as she reached for her shirt. After straightening the sleeves, she tugged it back on over her torso.

"Better?" Poppy grinned—though still blushing and avoiding eye contact.

Branch raised an eyebrow and allowed himself to scan her upper half.

"Y-ya. Y-you?" They were the first words Branch was able to speak in nearly 10 minutes.

Poppy rubbed her palms against her eyes.

"I'm tired."

With a half-hearted smile, Poppy turned, crawled back to the top of the bed and plopped down on her pillow. Without thinking, Branch followed.

They laid on their backs staring silently up at the ceiling. Poppy's glow in the dark stars twinkled down at them. Branch's heart was still pounding, but he could feel his vision finally start to clear. He tucked his arms behind his head to allow for deeper breaths.

With an exhausted sigh, Poppy rolled over, draping her arm around Branch's chest. Branch stiffened slightly, but only for a moment. Nervously, he lowered his arms and carefully wrapped them around Poppy. He could feel her embarrassment soften as she cuddled against his chest.

The position felt far more comfortable compared to the previous and Branch gladly sunk into it. He didn't realize how tight his muscles had been until he tried to relax.

"Goodnight Poppy."

"Goodnight Branch….."

Poppy sighed once more, and in more of a breath than a whisper, "I love you too."

Branches eyes again grew wide and he held his breath. His mind raced.

 _Shit! Shit! Doesn't know what the hell she is saying! The girl is drunk. She is fucking drunk… Oh Fuck! What the fuck did you just let happen?!_

Branch's chest tightened into his throat .

 _What kind of asshole messes around with his fucking bubbly, teeth rottingly sweet, rainbow-farting friend when she is drunk?! It takes some kind of fucking sleazeball to grope a girl while she is at her most vulnerable! You're pathetic..You're fucking disgusting…_

Then, Poppy's words echoed in his mind.

 _It doesn't make you do anything that you didn't already want to do. We all want to do crazy shit…_

Repeating those words again and again, Branch released the gust of air he had been holding on to. After a couple of slow and deliberate breaths, he tilted his head to look down at the pink haired girl snuggled in his arms. The moonlight that shone through the curtains softly lit her face. Tendrils of bubblegum hair draped lazily around her shoulders and her freckles almost looked like flecks of glitter dotting her cheeks. Rhythmic puffs left her lips, alternating with a tiny, muffled snore. A smile tugged at the corners of Branch's lips and he let it come.

Branch tightened his embrace, pulling Poppy closer to him. He lowered his head and nuzzled into the soft pink cottony hair. He breathed her in—with each inhale, the distant sent of strawberry and vanilla slowly saturated his senses and moved through his body. With a sigh, branch closed his eyes.

 _Maybe it will be okay….maybe…_

 _Maybe Poppy won't even remember this in the morning._

(Continue with tisbubb's "Little Change" Chapter 16)


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